Warriors' value has skyrocketed to $2.6 billion, behind only Lakers, Knicks

It is unprecedented growth

The Warriors value as a franchise has made colossal gains from where they were even five years ago. Once a below average franchise, Forbes now has them as the NBA's third most valuable franchise in the NBA behind the Knicks and Lakers. A jump of this magnitude is unprecedented and just shows how far the Warriors have come as a franchise over the years.

Business Insider recently charted that rise to show just how unprecedented the growth of Golden State has been. While the average NBA team has seen a $1.3 billion growth, the Warriors value has increased as much as $2.6 billion.

As recently as 2011, the Warriors were valued below the NBA average, and as recently as 2006, the Warriors were listed at 25% below average. Eleven years later, with the help of some of the best players in the NBA, an NBA championship, and a new privately funded arena on the horizon, the Warriors are now the third-most-valuable team in the NBA, at $2.6 billion.  

This just goes to show what new ownership and winning in a market like the Bay Area does for a team. The Warriors have hit the perfect storm in every way between the emergence of Steph Curry, the NBA's new TV deal creating cap room for Kevin Durant, and seeing their biggest jump in value take place when the NBA is making more money than ever.

It's unlikely that a team like the Warriors will be seen again for a long time. Not just on the court, but their popularity spike off the court as well. This isn't those same Warriors that couldn't stay out of their own way. They're a model franchise now and that kind of evolution is difficult to achieve.